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The
Carter House: The
Battle of Franklin: In the mid-afternoon, Hood sent his poorly-equipped and underfed Confederates across two miles of open fields against the Union front. The Carter House sat directly in the center between the two lines of battle. 23,000 Rebels met 28,000 Federal soldiers in headlong combat.
Robert E.: Twice Yankee soldiers tried to invade the Carter family's safe haven in the cellar and were twice repulsed by old Mr. Carter. The children spent the five hours of the engagement hiding behind barrels of flour and other supplies at the far end of the cellar. Ulysses: I do not blame the soldiers for seeking a safe place out of the hail of bullets. The battle took a fearful toll. At 9 p.m., when General Hood gave the order to disengage the attack, the Confederates had lost over 6,250 men including six generals killed-- the highest number of generals ever lost in a single battle. One of the Southern casualties was Captain Tod Carter, eldest son of the beleaguered household. He died in his own bed two days after the fight. The Union casualties were a little over 2,600.
Book
Signing -- The Carter House Museum: Period Songs by
Paul and Kim Caudell: Robert
E. Makes a Friend: She was so pleased when Mary presented one of Robert E.'s brothers to her. Photo: Kim and Paul in a period pose. Kim holding Robert E. She is supposed to be looking serious, but she is so happy with Robert E. that a smile creeps across her face. Next
Stop -- Kentucky! Abe: Next time, it will be my pleasure to tell you what we did there.
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On
November 30, 1864, General John Bell Hood, C.S.A. attacked the Federal
army commanded by Major General John Schofield. The Federal troops
were entrenched behind fortifications that ringed Franklin. This
small town lay only twenty miles south of Nashville, the target
of Schofield's advance. Photo: Carter House.
The
Carter family, including thirteen children, took refuge in the stone
cellar under the house as the maelstrom raged over their heads.
Federal soldiers used the front bedroom and parlor as sniping positions
while they fired their muskets at the enemy, who returned fire from
the far side of the barn and icehouse. Not one brick in the south
wall of the kitchen escaped a bullet hole. Photo:
Carter House. You can see the small window in the stone basement
where the family hid during the battle. The window was blocked up
with pieces of firewood during the fight.
Many
people came, including Paul and Kim Caudell, two musicians who specialize
in period songs. They arrived wearing clothing from the 1860's.
For
the two hours of the book signing, Paul and Kim regaled the visitors
with lively camp songs and tender ballads of the period, including
one they wrote titled, "Last Letter Home." This song is based on
a real letter displayed in the Carter House Museum. Photo: Paul
Caudell on guitar and Kim on the fiddle playing inside the Carter
House Museum (left), Kim and Paul Caudell in a period pose (right).
Ulysses:
Kim took a shine to Robert E. He always could catch a lady's eye.
